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The Overton Park Shell is an open-air amphitheater formerly known as Overton Park Shell and Shell Theater. Built in 1936 by the Works Progress Administration and the City of Memphis, it is one of only a few band shells built by the WPA that is still in use. Modeled after similar band shells in New York, Chicago, and St. Louis, it was used for musicals, light operas, and orchestra performances during the 1930s and 1940s.
Elvis Presley performed here in 1954 and this is considered the first rock and roll show in history. The shell was renamed after a major renovation by the Levitt Foundation in 2007.
Overton Park Shell, 1928 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, TN, Phone: 901-272-2722
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